Warp stop mechanism for looms



M. L. STONE.

WARP STOP MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10, I921.

1,388,21 2, Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

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WARP STOP MECHANISM FOR LOOMS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10 l92l.

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WARP STOP MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10; 1921.

1,388.21 2. Patented-Aug. 23, 1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELVIN L. STONE, OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER CORPO- RATION, OF HOPEDALE MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

WARP STOP MECHANISM FOR LOOMS. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

Application filed March 10, 1921. Serial No. 451,224.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELVIN L. STONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lawrence, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Warp Stop Mechanism for Looms, of which the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the draw ings representing like parts.

This invention relates to warp stop mechanism for looms, through the agency of which the loom is stopped when a warp thread breaks or becomes too slack for weaving purposes.

Various forms of-warp stop mechanisms have heretofore been devised for effecting stoppage of the loom when the warp thread breaks or becomes too slack, and in the present practice such warp stop mechanisms are usually located near the rear portion of the loom, and not in convenient reach of weaver. vOther forms of warp stop motions have been suggested wherein the drop wires or other warp detecting means has been mounted upon the lay and in convenient position for manipulation by the weaver. In this latter type of warp stop mechanism, however, the parts of the warp stop motion have interfered with the work of the weaver when piecing up, and the character of the warp stop mechanism has been. complicated and not well suited for its purpose.

One of the important features of the present invention consists in warp stop mechanism wherein the parts are simple in construction, effective in operation, and do not necessarily interfere with the weaver when piecing up.

A further feature-of the invention consists in a series of drop wires which are mounted upon the lay above the reed, and

which cooperate with a feeler having a detecting movement in the path above the reed, and consequently out of the way, to effect loom stoppage when the detecting movement of the feeler is arrested by a drop wire which fails to be supported by a warp thread.

Where the drop wires are mounted upon the lay, each drop wire has a warp engaging portion which extends between the dents of the reed, and consequently when the shed 1s formed, one of the warp threads of a pair in each dent of the reed is raised and then lowered during the beat-up. This alternate engagement of the pairs of warp threads with the drop Wires, permits all of the drop wires to assume a lowered position when the shed is closed, and a further important feature of the present invention, therefore consists of drop wires of peculiar constructlon which have warp engaging port1ons extending between the dents of the reed and laterally projecting portions which rest upon the reed cap when the drop wires are lowered as the shed is closed, or when a drop WlIe fails to be supported by a broken or too slack warp thread.

Afurther characteristic of the invention consists in the series of drop wires having upwardly extending slots which are pro vlded with wide open upper ends to permit the drop wires to be readily put in and taken out of the loom, and in view of the fact that the'drop wires are provided with laterally projecting portions or shoulders which rest upon the reed cap when the drop wires. are not supported in raised position by warp threads, the open ended slots enable the drop wires to be readily engaged with the drop wire guiding means, or disengaged therefrom.

During the weaving operation the reed is liable to longitudinal displacement at times, and a further feature of the invention consists in means for adjustably securing the reed in position with the warp engaging portions of the drop wires extending between the dents of the reed.

Other features of the invention will be hereinafter described in connection with the above, and in relation to the accompanying drawings which show one good form of the present invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a loom from front to rear having the present invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view on'an enlarged scale showing more particularly the association of the warp stop motion of the present invention with the reed;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail showing the means on the lay for transmitting movement of the feeler to the stop mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a detail partly in section showing the stop finger and its controlling means; 7

Fig. 5 is a front elevationsliowing more particularly the reed, the drop wires mounted above the reed cap, the feeler and the adj ustable means for holding the reed in longitudinal position onthe lay;

Fig. 6 is a sectional'detail in perspective showing a portion of the reed cap, the guide ba'rs for the drop wires, and the preferred form of drop wire. 7

The warp stop motion of the present invention is adapted for application to any ordinary loom without material change in the construction thereof, as will more fully appear, and as indicated in Fig. 1, the loom frame 1 may be of usual construction, as may also be the lay 2, the lay swords 3, the crank shaft 4, the arm or pitman 5 connected to the crank shaft and lay for imparting to the latter its beat-up movements.

The lay 2 has the usual reed receiving groove or socket 6 (Fig. 2), and the cap 7 is likewise provided with a groove 8. In the opposed grooves 6 and 8, the upper and lower bars of the reed are received.

The drop wires are mounted upon the lay above the reed, and in the present instance of the invention, each drop wire 9 as best shown by Figs. 2 and 6, is provided with an upwardly extending slot 10 havingthe upper end portion of the slot opening at 11. Each drop wire 9 is provided with a laterally projecting portion. which, in the present instance of the invention, is adapted to engage the upper surface of the reed cap 7. The lateral projection is preferably formed by a shouldered portion 12. Extending downwardly from the upper portion of the drop wire is the lower arm 13, the terminal point of which is provided with the warp engaging portion 14 which extends between the dents of .the reed, as best indicated in Fig. 2. Mounted in suitable supports 15 rising from the reed cap 7 is the drop wire guide 16 which passes through the open slots 10 of the drop wires, the supports 15, one preferably adjacent each end of the'reed cap,

indicated in Fig. 5, also afi'ording support for a brace 17 which engages the. rear portion of the drop wires to prevent their displacement when a drop wire is engaged by the feeler, as willmore fully appear.

The character of drop wires in the present invention is such that by reason of the open ended slots 10, the drop wires may be placed in or'taken out of their operative position without disturbing other drop wires of the series, and since all of the drop wires are lowered when the shed is closed, the lateral projection or shoulder 12 with which each drop wire is provided, may conveniently rest upon the top surface of the reed cap 7, and then be raised therefrom when the shed is open and one of the warp threads of each which pass between the reed dents is raised.

The feeler has a detecting movement and is arrested by a drop wire when such drop wire fails to be supported by a warp thread.

In the present instance of the invention, the feeler 18 is carried by the arms 19, one adjacent each end .of the lay, and may be further supported. by intermediate .arms 20 (Fig. The arms 19 which carry the feeler 18 are loosely mounted on the rod or shaft 21 which is supported in bearings 22 on the reed cap. A spring 23 is connected at one end to the feeler carrying bar 19, as indicated in. Fig. 2, and the other end of the spring is connected to a lug 24 carried by the feeler cap, the construction being such that the feeler 18 will be moved clockwise under the tension of the spring 23 until a stop 25, which may be formed as a knife joint between the feeler arm 19 and bearing 22, limits the action of the spring. Secured to the rod 21 is the'feeler actuate ing arm 26 between which and the arm 19 (Fig. 2) is the spring 27, the construction being such that movement-of the actuating arm 26 contra-clockwise, effects through the spring 27 a yielding movement of the feeler 18 to the left (Fig. 2).

The actuating arm has a down-turned end 28 adapted to be engaged by the upwardly extending arm 29 of an actuator pivoted at 30 on the lay. The other arm of the actuator extends rearwardly as at 31, and restsupon a cam 32 carried by the crank shaft i, the construction and timing of parts being such that the feeler shall have imparted to it its feeling movement to detect whether any one of the drop wires is in lowered position when the shed is open as indicatedin Fig. The arm 31 is sufliciently long so that as the lay beats up, it will maintain its bearing upon the cam 32.

The feeler has connected thereto means for effecting loom stoppage when the feeler is arrested in its detecting movement. Such means is preferably formed 1 y a flexible wire incased in a coil or armor, and as illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, one of thefeeler arms 19 has mounted upon it a socket member 33 (Fig. 2) into which extends the incased flexible wire M. .The wire 34 1s secured in the socket 33 by the set scr'ew'35,

and :extends from the socket 33 through a casing 36 'mountedat the'rear ofthe reed cap 7. The wirefit extends from the socket 36 through the armor or coil 37, andleads to controlling position with respect'tothe stop finger 38 at the front of the loom. Inasmuch as the lay has movement toward. and from the front ofthe'loom, the incased wire 34 is slack between the lay and the stop finger 38 as indicated in Fig. 1.

The end of the incased wire 34 is received. in a socket piece 39 supported at the front of the loom, and the end of the wire 34 rests against the lower end of an elevator 40, upon the upper end of which rests the stop finger 38. I A spring 41 normally acts upon the stop finger 38 tending to depress it, and to move the end of the stop finger into a lowered position to be engaged by the operating mem' ber 42 (Fig. 2). The operating member 42 is carried by a lever 43 pivoted to the loom frame at 44, and having on its rearwardly extending arm 45 a roller 46 which rests upon the double acting cam 47 mounted upon the cam shaft 48, the construction being such A that the operating member 42 is given its frontward movement in timed relation with each beat-up movement of the lay.

The stop finger 38, as indicated in Fig. 2, is pivotally secured at 49 to a slide 50, the frontend portion of which bears against the end 51 of the knock-off lever pivoted at 52 on the shipper stand. The end 53 of the knock-oil lever rests against the front portion of the shipper 54. which, when the loom is running. is held in its operative position by the usual notch 55 in the shipper stand. The construction is such that should the stop finger 88 be moved frontwardly by the operating' member, the knock-ofl' lever will detach the shipper from its holding notch, and effect loom stoppage.

Vhen the shed is closed during the beatup, all of the drop wires 9, as seen in Fig. 2, rest upon the top surface of the reed cap. VVhen' the shed is open, however, the warp engaging end portions 14 of the drop wires will be engaged by the warp threads a in the upper plane of the shed, and will lift all of the drop wires into an upper position, as indicated in Fig. 1, provided all the warp threads are intact or not too slack. During such relation of parts, the stop finger 38 will be raised into its upper position (Fig.

1) by the incased wire 34 as the feeler 18 moves in its detecting action, and will consequently not be engaged by the operating member 42, so that the loom will continue to run. hen, however, any one of the drop wires is permitted to remain lowered by a broken or too slack warp thread, the detecting movement of the feeler 18 will be ar rested by the lowered drop wire, and the stop finger 38 will remain lowered into the path of movement of the operating member 42 and knock-off loom.

Inasmuch as the ends of the drop wires extend between the reed dents, and such reed is liable at times 'to have an endwise movement during weaving, it is desirable to lock the reed in its position with the ends of the drop wires extending between the. dents. In

the present instance of the invention, the front portion of the reed cap 7 has secured to it the plate 56 provided with a slot 57, and a series of corrugations or teeth 58. Adjustably connected to the plate 56 is the reed lock 59 which maybe conveniently formed as a finger having a portion 60 through which passes the locking bolt 61, the head of which is engaged at the inner surface of the slotted plate 56. The lower end portion of the lock 59 has a rearwardly extending end 62 which extends backwardly beyond the reed, and engages the end dent of the reed to hold the reed from endwise movement. One of the locking devices substantially as described will be placed at each end of the reed as indicated in Fig. 5, so that all endwise movement of the reed in either direction will be obstructed, and the reed will be held in the desired adjusted position by the lock.

The arrangement and construction of parts is such that the drop wires are disposed above the reed and preferably above the reed cap, and while not supported by the warp threads when the shed is closed, the shouldered portion 12 of the drop wires will be supported upon the upper surface of the reed cap. When the shed is opened, the warp threads in the upper plane of the shed, provided all warp threads are intact and in Working condition, will raise the dropwires from the position (Fig. 2) to that of Fig. 1, and the feeler 18 will partake of its feeling movement rearwardly, and cause the flexible wire 34, to lift the stop finger out of the path of the operating member 42. Shouldany one of the warp threads be broken at such times, or should any warp thread become broken as the shed is formed, its associated drop wire will assume its lowered position and obstruct the detecting movement of the feeler, whereupon the loom will be stopped.

By looking the reed from longitudinal dis placement on the lay, the proper association of the drop wires and warp threads is main tained, and the reed held in adjusted position longitudinally.

Vhat is claimed is 2-- 1. In a warp stop mechanism for looms. the combination of the lay, a reed mounted on the lay, a series of drop wires mounted on the lay above the cap of the reed, and each having a downwardly extended portion which projects between adjacent reed dents, a feeler mounted upon the reed cap and having a detecting movement above the reed to engage a drop wire above the reed cap when the drop wire fails to be supported by a warp thread, and means for stopping the loom whenthe feeler is arrested by a drop wire.

2. In a warp stop mechanism for looms, the combination of the lay and reed, a series of drop wires mounted upon the lay and having wide portions above the reed cap, and downwardly extended portions which project between the dents of the reed, a feeler having a detecting movement to en gage a widened portion of a drop wire when it fails to be supported by the sharp threads, and means for effecting loom stoppage when the detecting movement of the feeler is arrested.

3. In a warp stop mechanism for looms, the combination of the lay and reed, a series of drop wires mounted upon the lay and having shoulder portions for arresting the downward movement of a drop wire by engagement with the cap of the reed when the drop wire fails to be supported by a warp thread, a feeler having a detecting movement and adapted to be arrested by a drop wire when it is in dropped position, and means for stopping the loom when the feeler movement is arrested.

4. In a warp stop mechanism for looms, the combination of the lay and reed, a series of drop wires mounted upon the lay and having shoulder portions for arresting the downward movement of a drop wire by engagement with the cap of the reed when the drop wire fails to be supported by a warp thread, a warp thread engaging portion extending downwardly from each drop wire back of the lay and projecting between dents of the reed, a feeler having a detecting movement and adapted to be arrested by a drop wire when it is in dropped position, and means for stopping the loom when the feeler movement is arrested 5. In a warp stop mechanism for looms, the combination of a series of drop wires having widened upper portions provided with upwardly extending slots which are open at the top, a laterally projecting portion extended from each drop wire, and a rest adapted tobe engaged by the project ing portion of a drop wire to determine the position of a drop wire when it fails to be supported by a warp thread.

6. In a warp stop mechanism for looms, the combination ofa series of drop wires having widened upper portions provided with upwardly extending slots which are open at the top, a laterally projecting portion extended from each drop wire, a rest adapted to be engaged by the projecting portion of a drop wire to determine the po-' sition of a drop wire when it fails to be supported by a warp thread, and a drop wire guide extending through the slots of the which are open at the top and lateral projecting portions adapted toengage the reed cap when the drop wires fail to be sup ported in raised (position by the warp threads.

8. In a warp stop motion for looms, the combination of the lay and reed, a drop wire guide carried by the lay above the reed, a

series of drop wires having their upper portions provided with upwardly extended slots which are open at the top, lateral projecting portions adapted to engage the reed cap when the drop wires fail to be supported in raised position by the warp threads, a feeler having a detecting movement in a path 10. In a warp stop motion for looms, the

combination of the lay and reed mounted thereon, drop wire guiding means mounted on the lay above the reed, a series of drop wires having guiding portions which extend above the reed to engage the drop wire guiding means and also having warp thread engaging portions which extend between the dents of the reed, a 'feeler having a detecting movement above the reed and adapted to be arrested by engagement with a drop wire above the reed when the wire fails to be supported by a warp thread, and means for stopping the loom when the feeler is arrested.

11. In a warp stop motion for looms, the;

combination of the lay and reed, a series of drop wires mounted on the lay above the reed and having warp engaging portions extending betweenthe dents of the reed and lateral projecting portions which engage and rest upon the reed cap when the detectors are not supported in raised position by the warp threads.

12. In a warp stop mechanism for loo-ms,

stop motion for looms, the

the combination of a series of drop wires adapted to be supported by the warp threads and'each having its upper portion provided with an upwardly extended slot which is open at the top of the drop wire, a drop wire guide which extends through the open slots of the drop wires, and a stop for stopping the downward movement of a drop Wire be- 7 fore the open slot becomes disengaged from V the guide.

13. In a warp stop motion for looms, the combination of a series of drop wires adapted to be supported in raised position by warp threads and each having its upper portion provided with an upwardly extending slot which is normally open at the top, a drop wire guide on which the drop wires may be placed by upward movement of the drop wires, a stop for stopping the downward movement of a drop 10 wire when it is released by a warp thread and before the open ended slot becomes disengaged from the guide bar, and means for stopping the loom when a drop wire fails to be supported by a warp thread.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

MELVIN L. STONE. 

